A man is living every writer’s dream. He has quit his day job and is now working on his book that he thinks will prove the existence of the paranormal. However, while doing research, the man summons an actual ghost that appears to be determined to make his life a living Hell.
Ghostbox, which I watched on Pluto earlier today, was obviously made for a very low-budget and it’s cast is full of unknowns. The story unfolds slowly and those looking for sudden shocks and expensive horror effects will want to look elsewhere. Ghostbox attempts to be more of a mood piece than a typical scream-out-loud horror movie. When taken on its own terms, though, Ghostbox isn’t bad. It does a good job of setting the mood and the film’s plot actually does pay off at the end. It’s a simple ghost story that is barely over an hour long. Though it takes some getting used to, I liked the DIY feel of the film and even the slow pace felt appropriate for the story that the movie was telling. Your mileage may vary.
1957’s Final Curtain is a short, 22-minute film in which a mysterious man (Duke Moore) wanders around a creepy and seemingly abandoned theater. While Dudley Manlove (who played Eros the Alien in Plan Nine From Outer Space) provides narration, the man sees many strange things in the theater. What is real and what is merely a hallucination? Watch to find out!
Final Curtain was envisioned, by director Edward D. Wood, as being the pilot for a horror anthology series. Though none of the networks were interested in buying Wood’s proposed series, Wood considered Final Curtain to be his finest film and it certainly is a bit more atmospheric than the typical Wood film. The role of the mysterious man was written for Bela Lugosi but, after Lugosi passed away, Duke Moore was cast in the role instead.
4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Today’s edition of 4 Shots from 4 Films is dedicated to one of the most underrated horror directors around, Dan Curtis!
It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Dan Curtis Films
House of Dark Shadows (1970, dir by Dan Curtis, DP: Arthur Ornitz)
The Norliss Tapes (1973, dir by Dan Curtis, DP: Ben Colman)
Trilogy of Terror (1975, dir by Dan Curtis. DP: Paul Lohmann)
Burnt Offerings (1976, dir by Dan Curtis, DP: Jacques R. Marquette)
Today’s Horror on the Lens is The Norliss Tapes, a 1973 made-for-TV movie that was also a pilot for a television series that, unfortunately, was never put into production.
Reporter David Norliss (Roy Thinnes) has disappeared. His friend and publisher, Stanford Evans (Don Porter), listens to the tapes that Norliss recorded before vanishing. (Stanford Evans, it must be said, is a great name for an editor.) Each tape details yet another paranormal investigation. (Presumably, had the series been picked up, each tape would have been a different episode.) The first tape tells how Norliss investigated the mysterious death of an artist who apparently returned from the grave.
For a made-for-TV movie, The Norliss Tapes is pretty good. It’s full of atmosphere and features a genuinely menaching yellow-eyed zombie monster. The film was directed by Dan Curtis, who was responsible for several made-for-TV horror films and who also created the deathless TV show, Dark Shadows. Curtis also directed a few feature films. Burnt Offerings,for instance, will be forever beloved for its scene of annoying little Lee Montgomery getting crushed by a chimney. If you ever get a chance to listen to the director’s commentary that Dan Curtis recorded for the Burnt Offerings DVD release, you must do so. Curtis comes across as the crankiest man on the planet and it’s actually kind of fascinating to listen to. His irritation when Karen Black keeps asking him if he knows the name of the actor who played the ghostly chauffeur is truly an amazing thing to here. (For the record, the actor’s name was Anthony James, he also had important supporting roles in two best picture winners — In The Heat of the Night and Unforgiven — and yes, he was one of the best things about Burnt Offerings. Karen Black knew what she was talking about.)
But back to The Norliss Tapes!
Admittedly, this is not the first Halloween in which I’ve shared The Norliss Tapes with our readers. Back in both 2015 and 2021, The Norliss Tapes was one of our “horrors on the lens.” Unfortunately, there’s only so many good quality, public domain horror films available on YouTube so, occasionally, a movie is going to show up more than once over the years. But, as long as it’s good film, who cares?
Since the 10th of October was the 100th anniversary of the birth of director Edward D. Wood, Jr., it seems appropriate to dedicate this week’s edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers to him!
Below …. can you handle six trailers for six Ed Wood films!?
Technically, this isn’t a Halloween or a horror video, unless you live in California and you really hate the rain. But the foggy imagery and the deserted streets and the nighttime cinematography are definitely appropriate for the season.
Tonight’s episode of One Step Beyond features host John Newland listening as a drunk (Sean McClory) at a bar tells the story of his former life as a gigolo and how a cursed necklace drove him mad. This episode is interesting if just because it takes the show’s “Did this story really happen?” premise to its logical conclusion. Apparently, John Newland couldn’t leave his house without someone telling him a story about the paranormal!
This episode originally aired on October 27th, 1959.
On a snowy night, Scott (Shane Johnson), CJ (Josh Hammond), and Robbie (Jason Dohring) cross into Wisconsin so that they can have a good time at a notorious roadhouse. After CJ starts a fight that gets them kicked out, the three of them start to drive back to Minnesota. They stop to pick up a deputy sheriff, Charlie (Randy Quaid), whose squad car has broken down. Charlie assures the young men that he’s off-duty and asks them a lot of questions about what they’ve been doing during the night. When a mysterious 1957 black Cadillac pulls up and challenges the Scott to a drag race, Charlie tells Scott to “go for it!”
It turns out that the Cadillac is interested in more than just a race. It tries to force Scott into crashing his car and, even after Scott seems to escape from the car, it keeps showing up wherever the friends are driving. Why is the other driver after them and how is Charlie involved?
Not a bad film. The black Cadillac and its driver are great villains that seems to be able to transport anywhere. No matter what the three young men do, they can’t escape from or even slow down the Cadillac’s pursuit. The three friends are all likable, even if the movie does get bogged down with all of their secrets. Randy Quaid shows why, before he apparently lost his mind and started talking about star whackers, he was one of the busiest character actors around. Black Cadillac is a good mix of horror and car chases.
A man is living every writer’s dream. He has quit his day job and is now working on his book that he thinks will prove the existence of the paranormal. However, while doing research, the man summons an actual ghost that appears to be determined to make his life a living Hell.
Through the Shattered Lens 